A former LaLiga referee believes that Barcelona were lucky not to concede two penalties against Porto during their UEFA Champions League match
Barcelona’s recent troubles with alleged bribery of referees are unlikely to go away anytime soon, especially with the Blaugrana still receiving favourable calls from officials in the present day.
Barcelona survive Porto scare
Xavi’s men struggled to a 1-0 victory over Porto in the UEFA Champions League after Ferran Torres’ goal and heroics from goalkeeper Marc Andre-Ter Stegen, however, a former LaLiga official also believes that the Blaugrana got significant help from the centre-referee.
Recently retired Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz believes that his former colleague Anthony Taylor made significant errors that benefited Barcelona, despite the Englishman sending off Blaugrana midfielder Gavi late on.
Lahoz’ criticisms are based on incidents that occurred well before Gavi’s sending off, as the Spanish official noted that Porto deserved to have had more calls go in their favour during the match.
Former LaLiga referee questions officiating in Barcelona match
The former LaLiga official, known for cutting a controversial figure during his time as an active official, noted during his new role as a pundit with SPORT that Porto were due not one but two penalties against Barcelona.
Lahoz noted that the Portuguese side should first have been awarded a penalty for Jules Kounde’s tackle on Mehdi Taremi, saying, “Kounde takes a big risk (by diving in). If Anthony Taylor were to give a penalty, he would have no complaints.”
The former LaLiga official also noted another incident that could have resulted in Barcelona conceding a penalty, saying,
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